Chapter 12 #3
The warmth of having her back in his arms made him barely register the temperature of the house.
He was a sweaty mess after Mr. Zarin had put him through his paces for the past couple of hours.
Mr. Zarin was trying to help Jack build calluses on the bottoms of his feet, which was why they did most of their backyard workouts in bare feet.
That definitely took some getting used to, but Mr. Zarin promised his efforts would pay off eventually.
Jack pulled Jenna against him, his mouth going over hers.
Her warm palms seared against his cool skin at the small of his back, causing Jack to shudder against her.
Their tongues danced together as if they were greeting a long lost friend.
There was nothing but Jenna. Her taste, her smell, her warmth, it was all-consuming. He was completely enraptured.
To the point where he hadn’t even realized he’d spun them around and had her pressed up against the back door until there was a tapping on the glass beside her head.
Jack picked up his head and spotted Mr. Zarin standing out in the cold. He was wearing a light sweat jacket, zipped partly up.
‘Impatient’ would be the best word to describe the expression on his face.
Jack leapt back, pulling Jenna with him. She had her face covered with her hands and Jack knew from the way her body was shaking against his that she was both embarrassed and amused that they’d been caught getting carried away.
Mr. Zarin opened and closed the door. “Jenna,” he said sweetly as he passed them. The look he gave Jack had an unspoken warning.
Jack shrugged, unapologetically. There was no ‘controlling’ himself around Jenna. She was his kryptonite.
Mr. Zarin just shook his head and kept going. From the living room, Jack heard, “Daphne, my love, the chili smells amazing. How soon until dinner’s ready?” Jack couldn’t hear Mrs. Zarin’s answer, only her muffled voice. Then Mr. Zarin said, “Good. I have time for a shower.”
Jenna slowly stood up off of Jack’s chest. Her lips were swollen and her cheeks were still pink. He ran a comforting hand through her hair to—
Jack paused. Her hair! Putting his hand on her shoulders, he moved her back so he could get a real look at her. Her beautiful flaming orange hair that was usually down to the middle of her back was now…
“What the fuck?” he demanded, pulling on the ends as if he could make them longer again. Her once long locks were now cut to just below her ears.
She touched her head on the other side of her head from his hand subconsciously. “Do you like it?”
“I… I…” Christ, what the fuck was he supposed to say?
She was beautiful. Nothing could change that.
But, well, he’d loved her hair. Loved the length of it and how it felt when he bunched the thick locks up in his hands.
How he ran his fingers through it like a makeshift comb.
How it blew uncontrollably in the wind and got caught in his mouth as they were walking along the beach.
“I mean, I…” The shorter hair wasn’t a bad look, per se.
It just wasn’t a look he would have chosen for her.
“It’s just… I don’t not like it… Only,” he swallowed.
Suddenly Jenna sputtered out a laugh. She nearly doubled over from laughing so hard. “Oh God, I’m going to pee my pants! Your face! You should have seen your face!”
Jack crossed his arms over his still-bare chest. He loved hearing Jenna’s laugh, even at his expense, but he was more confused than infatuated right now. “I don’t get it. What’s so funny? Did you cut your hair as a prank or something?”
He would be mad if that was the case. No prank was worth cutting her lovely hair.
Jenna shook her head, trying to catch her balance on the edge of the counter.
“No, no, it wasn’t a prank.” She had to take several deep breaths before she could speak properly.
“There was an accident in Chemistry and some chemicals got in my hair. I wasn’t hurt,” she added quickly when Jack started forward.
Concern had filled him at her words and his only thought had been to check to make sure she was okay.
“Really,” she insisted, touching his arm.
“I’m fine. But they had to cut some of my hair.
Since it was a good chunk of hair, I went to a salon to have it professionally fixed. ”
Jack put his fingers through the much shorter hair. “You weren’t hurt?”
Jenna shook her head again. “Promise. It was just my hair.”
Jack’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Well, it’ll take some getting used to and I’m not saying I don’t like it…”
“You just prefer me with longer hair.”
“I prefer you, long, medium, or short hair. However, I can’t deny that I loved your hair long.”
Jenna leaned in as if to tell him a secret. “Me too.” Jack chuckled, feeling less like an ass for his confession. “It’ll grow back, eventually. And think of all the money I’ll save on shampoo in the meantime.”
Jack’s eyebrows lowered. He’d never considered how much shampoo her longer hair had taken.
He used barely a dollop for his hair, face, and body.
He knew women used more product and makeup and stuff, but he hadn’t considered the cost of it all.
Lilly hadn’t used that stuff when he’d been buying for her needs.
Plus, women needed stuff like bras and tampons and, like, breast stuff, right? None of that was cheap, either.
He was going to need to figure out a job that supported Jenna’s needs once they were married. He didn’t want her sacrificing products and hygiene things she needed because he couldn’t afford it. How was he supposed to be able to support her and go to college?
Jenna touched his face. The storm inside his mind calmed. “I don’t know what it is you’re thinking, but whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together.”
He rested his hands on her hips. “I want to be able to give you the life you deserve.”
“How about we give each other the life we deserve together,” she offered.
“Jack, I don’t plan on living the life my parents have led.
You know I want to go to college, get a job, and have a simple life.
” She brought her other hand up to cup his face between her palms. His five o’clock shadow was just starting to show, and it felt incredible to have her fingernails scratch him just below his ears.
“I don’t need glory and riches, Jack. Even if we have to live off of Ramen noodles for a few years, I wouldn’t care so long as you’re the one I’m eating with. ”
Jack wrinkled his nose. “Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t want Ramen noodles. I lived off of canned food for a long time, Jen. Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t want that sort of life anymore.”
“Then we’ll figure it out,” she repeated. “If I don’t piss off my parents too much before I’m twenty-five, we’ll also have my trust fund coming our way.”
Jack scowled. “I don’t want a penny of your parents’ money. You said you were going to donate that and that hasn’t changed.”
Jenna rolled her eyes. “Stubborn man. Regardless, once we figure out where we’re going for college, we’ll both get jobs, an apartment, and figure the rest out.”
“I think I found a car in the classifieds. I can almost afford it. Want to go with me tomorrow to take a look?”
Jenna nodded. “I don’t know a thing about cars, but sure.”
“I need to see what you look like in it. If I don’t like seeing you inside it, I won’t get it,” Jack joked.
Jenna laughed, still rubbing her nails through his stubble. “Have you thought about getting a van? Maybe we could live in that for a bit to save on money.”
Jack scowled. “My wife is not living in a fucking van.”
That pink touched her cheeks again. “That sounds amazing, you know.”
Jack ducked his head, touching his lips to the shell of her ear. “Does it now?” He nipped her lobe. “My.” He ran his tongue along the skin under her ear. “Wife.”
She shuddered, sagging enough that Jack looped an arm around her waist to keep her upright. “You can’t say things like that to me. Not when we have so long to wait. I’m so impatient when it comes to you.”
“Baby, I’m just as impatient. But that’s also why I need to plan for then. We know it’s coming, so it’s not like it’s going to take us by surprise. We need to be ready.”
Jenna opened her mouth to answer, but a child’s giggling came into the kitchen.
Mr. Zarin, freshly showered and in jeans and a sweater, was walking behind Lilly. He had one hand over her eyes and one hand over his. “Is it safe to come in? We don’t want to be scarred for life.”
Jack rolled his eyes and stood up. “It’s safe.”
Mr. Zarin lowered his hands. “Good. I’m starving and that chili simmering over there is making my tummy all rumbly.”
“I want extra cheese in mine!” Lilly replied, running over to the stovetop. On instinct, Jack put his hand out to stop her from getting closer. She stuck her tongue out at him. “I’m not a baby, Jackie. I wasn’t going to touch.”
Jack’s look was filled with skepticism. “Why don’t you get the utensils out while I get the bowls down?”
Though she wasn’t happy about it, Lilly walked over to the drawer to get the silverware. Jack turned to Jenna, gave her lips a quick kiss, and then stepped away to get the bowls down. Jenna headed over to the cupboard to start pulling down glasses and fill them with water.
After a minute, Mrs. Zarin entered the kitchen. Her face lit up at seeing the kids setting the table while her husband poured her a glass of wine. The large serving bowl was filled with chili and brought over to the table. She ordered Jack to put a shirt on before they sat down.
Once everyone was served and they started eating, Mr. Zarin turned to Jack. “We wanted to run something by you, son.”
Jack chewed and swallowed his chili. The spices made his tongue tingle. “Sir?”
Mrs. Zarin reached over and took Mr. Zarin’s hand.
“You’ve had your license for a few months now.
Mr. Zarin feels you’re a responsible driver.
He wants me to get a new car, since my transmission has been acting up.
We thought about it and have decided that we don’t need his old truck anymore.
But rather than trade it in, we wanted to offer it to you. ”
The spoon fell out of Jack’s hand. “What?” he gasped. A quick glance at Jenna showed she was just as surprised. He turned back to the Zarins. “I mean, I appreciate the offer, but I can’t afford much. There’s an old Jag in the paper that I was going to look at tomorrow—”
“Jack,” Mr. Zarin interrupted. “We’re not selling it to you.” He reached into his pocket, took out a keyring with two silver keys. “We’re offering it to you.”
“But…I mean, the value of the truck…” He cleared his throat. “It must still be worth something.”
“It is,” Mr. Zarin confirmed. “That’s why we want to give it to you. You and I will go down to the DMV next week and change the title over to you. You’ll be responsible for your own gas and insurance, which isn’t cheap, especially for a teen driver. But the truck would be yours.”
He pushed the keys across the table.
Jack caught them before they toppled to the floor.
He was so shocked that he had no idea what to say or how to react.
A truck? His own vehicle. It was a dream.
The old beater he’d been looking at in the paper was cheap because it needed work.
Hardly would have been safe for Jenna or Lilly to ride with him until he fixed it up.
But he’d been driving Mr. Zarin’s truck for a while now. Mr. Zarin had taught him to drive in it. Rarely was he able to drive solo, but that was fine with him. It was Mr. Zarin’s truck and Mr. Zarin’s rules, after all.
A truck of his own, though! That was… His eyes landed on Jenna.
Paying for gas to get down to Seattle would be a lot, but worth it!
And they’d be able to go out, just the two of them.
He could pick her up and drop her off like a gentleman.
No more needing Carolyn or the Zarins to drive them around like children.
Freedom.
It was their first taste of freedom. A rite of passage that took him one step closer to adulthood. And one that wasn’t going to take a huge chunk of his savings to accomplish.
“Thank you, sir.” He looked from Mr. Zarin to Mrs. “Ma’am. Really, thank you.”
“That truck got me through a lot,” Mr. Zarin told him sternly. “Treat her right and she’ll treat you the same.”
Jack nodded once. “Yes, sir.” He looked to Jenna and the two of them shared a large smile. He twirled the keyring on his index finger. “Can I offer you a ride home?”
She held up a spoonful of chili. “Can I finish my dinner first?”